I'll approach this from a "general tech career perspective" ... but here are some I can think of that either I missed 'early', or was told early: - finding fri

I'll approach this from a "general tech career perspective" ... but here are some I can think of that either I missed 'early', or was told early: - finding friends at work - it's SUPER easy to ignore making relationships that are more than "just work" when you first start - learning about stuff outside "your wheelhouse" - whether it's how other teams work, what other teams do, or general happenings outside your specialty, staying informed of at least some developments outside your [current] specialty is very helpful - always bring a 'prop' into meetings - whether it's a notebook (legal pads are great), beverage, etc ... bring something with you: this does - at least - two things ... give you something to focus on when you "don't have to pay attention", give you a plausible reason for pausing before answering when asked a question (refer to what you have written down and/or take a sip of beverage to calm you mind before speaking) - read the codebase (or other role-relevant 'extracurricular activity') ... you can learn a HUGE amount from what others have done (including their missteps and failures). As a friend of mine likes to tell people, "profit from my experience" ... at least have the common decency to make "new" mistakes! - remember others have "been there" and "done that" ... if you can leverage others' work for your benefit, do it! - corollary to the previous ... share what you did / mistakes you commit / lessons you learned ... there is NO better way to advance than to be able to explain what you know to someone else (yes, it's not easy - but it is totally worth it) - don't burn yourself out: you're being paid for 8[ish] hours a day. Do NOT stay for 12 hours just because you are "new" or "have a lot to learn". Downtime is absolutely VITAL! - ASK others often ... better to learn from others' experience than to make all the same mistakes yourself (though of course, you need to balance "don't be a pest", too)